Slovenia no obstacle to Croatian EU accession

The greatest obstacle for Croatia’s EU entry is that has not opened enough chapters that it needs to open, President Stjepan Mesic said.

The Croatian president Stjepan Mesic attended a conference for Croatian innovations by the Croatian association of innovative drugs manufacturers.

“Slovenia is not the largest obstacle for Croatia in their negotiations with the European Union”, said president Mesic.

“The greatest obstacle is that we have not opened as many negotiating chapters as we should have opened, and some of the chapters that we have opened have not yet been closed.”

He stressed that need to understand that Croatia has good relations with Slovenia, besides a few open issues. Mesic stressed that Croatia must open a discussion with Slovenia and see what has to be solved.

“We have to sit down together at a table. Our negotiator has asked for a discussion three times, but has not been able to get to his target,” said Mesic, alluding at the attempts of Vladimir Drobnjak in EU negotiations.

Connected with the so called non-paper, which the Croatian diplomacy sent to the EU member nations about ZERP (Protected Ecological Fishery Zone), Mesic said that Croatia must first implement reforms of its justice system and public administration, and the rest will follow.

Mesic was asked if at the end of his mandate he would candidate himself for the president of the HNS (Croatian People’s Party), considering that Vesna Pusic proposed Radimir Cacic to replace her in that function. Mesic answered that he has no ambitions on being party president, but said that it is possible that might return to the party.

“If the party leads politics that are acceptable, I will un-freeze my membership in HNS, however if it is not, I will not return to the party,” said Mesic. (javno)

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